The cover letter lives

The reports of the its death are greatly exaggerated. While many jobs don’t require a cover letter anymore, or even give me an optional place to submit one, that doesn’t mean that I can’t or shouldn’t write cover letters. Especially if I take a broader, more modern view of what a cover letter is.

It is best not to think of a cover letter just as a discrete document, as it was in the old days. I remember the cover letter becoming a formality: required and written, but rarely read. The modern cover letter is the full body of writing I produce to pitch myself for a job. I give this a lot of careful thought. My communication skills may be what helps me stand out in the crowd.

The modern cover letter is:

• The message I send to a connection to get a warm intro to a job
• My first email to the hiring manager
• My narrative or objective section on my resume
• All of the messages I send throughout the interview process
• Answers to short response questions on my application
• (Sometimes) a document labeled “cover letter”
• …and more

Each of these communications has a different primary purpose and context, which need to frame what I write. Each happens at a different point in time in the process, and the contents should reflect what you know at that point. But every communication is an opportunity to explain what I bring to the table for the role. It’s also an opportunity to demonstrate that I understand the assignment, so to speak—that I have fully internalized what the company needs.

I might write more about how I approach communications as a job applicant, but hopefully I’ve made my basic point that the purpose of the cover letter is alive and well, even if it has changed forms. This is more crucial than ever in a hiring market that is flooded with job seekers.